How to Grow Your Money: 8 Investments in France (2026)
Updated on 29 July 2026
Growing your money in France means placing your savings in vehicles suited to your investment horizon and risk profile: savings accounts, life insurance, real estate, the stock market, the PEA (a French tax-advantaged equity savings account), crowdfunding, cryptocurrencies and starting a business are the 8 main options available to individuals.
- The right vehicle depends mainly on your investment horizon, from the very short term (savings accounts) to the long term (SCPI, stocks, the PEA).
- Capital-guaranteed vehicles, such as savings accounts and euro funds, protect your savings but offer more modest returns than riskier options.
- Life insurance and the PEA are tax wrappers that let you hold several asset classes under a single contract.
- Diversifying across several vehicles spreads the risk of capital loss while capturing different return horizons.
1 - How can you grow your money with a savings account?
A savings account lets you grow your money safely, thanks to guaranteed capital and free withdrawals, in exchange for generally modest returns. Savings account interest rates, although raised in recent years, are still often overlooked because of their low pay-out.
France is one of the few countries to offer a wide range of regulated savings accounts, whose capital is guaranteed by the bank up to €100,000 per depositor and per institution (FGDR deposit guarantee). You also generally have immediate access to this money if you need it (ideal for your emergency fund). As long as you keep a minimum balance, you can make deposits and withdrawals free of charge without closing the account.
You will not become a millionaire this way, but it lets you set money aside at your own pace and build an emergency fund. Opening a savings account is an excellent way to start growing your money when you are young, notably through the Livret Jeune, whose legal minimum rate is aligned with the Livret A (1.70% from 1 August 2026) and whose bank-set rates can reach 3.50% depending on the institution.
2 - How can you grow your money with life insurance?
Life insurance lets you grow your money through a euro fund with guaranteed capital and unit-linked funds offering higher return potential. Often used to prepare a wealth transfer or inheritance, it remains the French people's favourite investment, with €2.107 trillion in assets under management at the end of 2025, ahead of the Livret A, the PER (France's retirement savings plan) and the PEA combined.
The initial capital paid into your life insurance policy's euro fund is guaranteed. You therefore do not risk losing everything. According to France Assureurs, the average rate paid on euro funds reached 2.6% in 2025, for the third year running. Enough to put your money to work (almost) worry-free, with no guarantee that this return will hold in the future.
That said, to really make the most of life insurance to grow your money, you can also opt for a unit-linked policy. As a tax wrapper, it lets you hold several types of assets (stocks, bonds, ETFs, SCPI, and more). You can pick the options yourself from the basket offered by your insurer, though managed-portfolio service can be worth considering depending on your profile. Typically priced between 0.3% and 0.5% of your assets per year (up to 0.8-1% depending on the insurer), it frees you from a sometimes tedious analysis workload, provided this management is transparent and honest. In practice, your insurer should offer you a meaningful choice of funds run by different asset managers, not only its own in-house funds.
Finary's take: to be profitable and grow your money, your life insurance policy's annual management fees should stay below 1%. Beyond that, they eat too much into your returns.
To estimate precisely how taxation affects a life insurance withdrawal, you can use the Finary life insurance simulator.
3 - Growing your money with real estate?
Real estate is an asset class frequently used by French investors, and it carries its own risks (vacancy, price declines, illiquidity). But it is also an excellent way to grow your money, notably through rental property and SCPI (a French non-listed real-estate investment fund, comparable to a REIT) investment.
How can you grow your money with rental property?
There is a wide range of schemes and opportunities for investing in rental property. Denormandie, Malraux, LMNP, unfurnished rentals (the Pinel and Censi-Bouvard schemes have ended) - it is easy to get lost. And the good news is, you do not need to invest €300,000 to invest in rental property!
Your personal and tax situation will determine your investment strategy. The former Censi-Bouvard scheme, closed to new subscriptions since 31 December 2022, now only concerns owners who invested before that date; the same goes for the former Pinel scheme, closed since 1 January 2025. Today, rental property taxation mostly runs through non-professional furnished rentals (LMNP), the Denormandie scheme for renovating older properties, or the property-loss deduction (déficit foncier). Gross rental yields in France average 4.78% in 2025, with wide disparities between cities.
Real estate carries risks: vacancy, price declines, renovation costs, changing tax rules. Returns and capital gains are never guaranteed.
How can you grow your money with SCPI?
Investing in SCPI (Société Civile de Placement Immobilier) is commonly known as a ‘stone-paper’ investment. That means you put your money into real estate (stone) by buying units (paper) in the company, which pools these funds to invest in commercial property. SCPI units have the advantage of being far cheaper than buying a property outright: you can find them from a few hundred euros. Risks are also pooled, since the properties are ‘split’ into units, and management is passive - the company manages the buildings and pays you dividends on a fixed schedule. Just like traditional real estate, the average SCPI distribution rate stood at 4.91% in 2025, up 0.19 points from 2024 (ASPIM).
4 - How can you grow your money with the stock market?
Investing in the stock market lets you grow your money through stocks, bonds and ETFs, with a higher risk/return profile than savings accounts or euro funds.
Riskier, the stock market is often the first option investors think of to grow their money quickly. However, investing in the stock market cannot be improvised. You need to understand how products and markets work. To do so, you can go it alone, get support from a broker, or work with a wealth manager. You first need to determine your risk profile and objectives, then a clear strategy.
To grow your money with the stock market, it is important to diversify your portfolio across the different products available: stocks, bonds, and market indices. Stocks let you own a share of listed companies and, in turn, potentially receive dividends (not guaranteed, decided by the companies). Bonds are government or corporate debt on which you earn interest at a rate that can vary. Finally, you can track one or several market indices through ETFs to replicate their performance.
5 - How can you grow your money with a PEA?
One of the most attractive tax wrappers, the PEA (Plan d’Épargne en Actions) is an ideal tool for growing your money in European stocks or PEA-eligible ETFs over a medium to long-term horizon. Once you reach the 5-year holding period, you get a low-cost, tax-efficient product that gives you easy access to the stock market.
This is a great opportunity to grow your money when you are young: the earlier you open one, the sooner you can enjoy your savings under favourable tax conditions. The PEA is an excellent solution when you have no inheritance objective and time on your side.
6 - Growing your money with crowdfunding
More original, crowdfunding lets you invest in innovative companies and, if they succeed, recoup your stake or even grow your money. It comes in several forms:
- classic crowdfunding: you invest in a company and receive a reward agreed in advance;
- the crowdlending: you lend money to a company or an individual to fund their project. If interest is provided for, you can hope to grow your money;
- the crowdequity.
To grow your money with this last option, it is important to carefully select a start-up or project with strong growth potential, invest in the form of equity, and then wait. Crowdfunding gives you the opportunity to take part in campaigns for companies whose values you share and that have a real impact on society.
The main risk with this type of investment is not being able to recover your money if the funded project fails. According to Insee, 69% of companies created in 2018 were still active five years later, a rate that drops sharply for young innovative companies and start-ups, which are structurally more exposed to failure because of their business model.
On the other hand, if the project succeeds, you can hope to multiply the value of your investment by the end of the campaign, especially if you receive dividends when the company performs well.
7 - Growing your money with cryptocurrencies
Crypto-assets are highly volatile assets governed by the EU's MiCA regulation. The risk of total capital loss is real. On top of the traditional risk of loss linked to this asset's extreme volatility, there is also the risk of hacking. This risk is not negligible and could cost you your entire capital.
To invest in crypto-assets, it is recommended to go through a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP, "PSCA" in French) authorised by the AMF under the EU's MiCA regulation. Finary is authorised as a CASP by the AMF under references no. A2026-026 and no. N2026-008. You then buy a certain amount of a cryptocurrency, bitcoin or ethereum for example, and track its price to sell it at the right time.
8 - Growing your money by starting a business
Why not bet on your own skills to grow your money? If you have a business idea that could earn you money, go for it!
With or without starting capital, you can build your business online to develop an economic activity. Training, consulting, coaching - you can sell a wide range of products or services. And while creating and setting up your project can take time, starting a business carries a high risk of failure and requires thorough research! To succeed, you will need to carefully study your project's potential and viability.
Frequently asked questions
How can you grow your money quickly?
There is no miracle solution for growing your money quickly without risk. Investments offering high potential returns correspondingly carry high risks of capital loss. Building wealth should be viewed primarily as a long-term endeavour.
Where should you invest your money to grow it?
Several products are available for growing your money: savings accounts, life insurance, or the PEA. Investing in the stock market and real estate, whether through SCPI or rental property, are also effective ways to grow your money over the medium and long term.
How can you grow €1,000?
Several wrappers and vehicles can be considered depending on your risk profile, horizon and objectives: life insurance, PEA, ETFs, SCPI. It is recommended to seek guidance from an authorised adviser before making any investment decision.
What is the safest investment for growing your money?
No investment is entirely risk-free, but regulated savings accounts and the euro fund within life insurance offer the highest level of security: their capital is guaranteed, up to €100,000 per depositor and per institution for bank savings accounts (FGDR).
Should you diversify your investments to grow your money?
Yes. Spreading your savings across several vehicles (savings accounts, life insurance, the stock market, real estate) limits the impact of underperformance on a single asset and lets you adapt your risk-taking to each investment horizon, from short to long term.
Sources
ASPIM, Fundraising and performance of French retail property funds in 2025
Meilleurtaux, Rental property: yields by city in 2026
MoneyVox, Livret Jeune: 2026 rate, cap, maximum age
MoneyVox, The FGDR bank deposit guarantee
AMF, Whitelist of MiCA-authorised CASPs, Finary SAS
economie.gouv.fr, Rental investment: the Pinel tax reduction
Insee Première no. 2070, Companies created in 2018: 69% still active five years later
France Assureurs, Life insurance in 2025: solid inflows
ToutSurMesFinances, Life insurance: entry, management and switching fees
Regulatory disclaimers: Marketing communication. Investing carries a risk of partial or total capital loss. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. This article is provided for information and educational purposes only; it does not constitute personalised investment advice, a buy or sell recommendation, or tax advice. Before investing, read the Key Information Document (KID) and, where relevant, consult an authorised adviser. Finary SAS, an investment firm authorised by the ACPR (no. 19283), member of AMAFI. Insurance broker registered with ORIAS (no. 21001279), member of the CNCGP (association approved by the AMF). Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) authorised by the AMF under the MiCA regime, references no. A2026-026 and no. N2026-008.
